U.S. Postal Service

The United States Postal Service is an independent federal agency. Megan Brennan currently leads as postmaster general. In 1775, Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first postmaster general by the Continental Congress. In 1789, Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 of the U.S. Constitution, known as the Postal Clause or the Postal Power, empowers Congress “to establish Post Offices and post Roads.” It is one of the few federal agencies explicitly authorized by Congress.To address increasing deficits and to improve the overall management and efficiency of the post office, the U.S. Congress approved the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970. Since 2007, however, the agency has run a total net deficit of more than $50 billion. In 2013, the USPS has partnered with Amazon for Sunday delivery of their products in certain markets across the country. In 2015, Amazon began a grocery delivery service through the U.S. Postal Service.In 2014, USPS processed and delivered 155.4 billion letters, packages, catalogs, magazines and such — mailpieces, in the parlance — to 153.9 million delivery points. Of those home and business addresses, 971,543 were new last year.

Related "U.S. Postal Service" Articles

Jeffrey P. Bezos, founder of Amazon and owner of The Washington Post, announced Friday that he is donating $33 million to a scholarship fund for young "dreamers," immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children.
The donation comes amid...

The beleaguered U.S. Postal Service reported a financial loss Tuesday for the 11th straight year, citing declining mail volume and costs of its pension and health care obligations even as it predicted another strong holiday season of package...

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."
Mail carriers do their best in all kinds of weather, no question.
But the unofficial Postal Service motto promise of "swift...

The boom in Internet retailing has provided a rare bit of good news to the beleaguered U.S. Postal Service, which is delivering packages at a historic pace — and reaping revenue that helps offset billions of dollars of losses elsewhere in the agency's...

The brief history of tech-enabled ridesharing is not really a story about transportation, but a story of clashes with regulators. Uber and Lyft vs. cities and courts.
Municipalities have tried to ban ridesharing companies, but have mostly given up....

A veteran mail carrier was ordered held in custody on $100,000 bail Saturday after authorities said he ran a drug business out of his mail truck while working his route in the Near North neighborhood, authorities said.
Judge Peggy Chiampas ordered...

Americans turned out by the thousands Monday to celebrate the life and legacy of President John F. Kennedy on the day he would have turned 100.
The United States Postal Service commemorated Kennedy's centennial with a dedication of a JFK postage stamp in...

The U.S. Postal Service is hoping it can soon raise stamp prices by a penny or more.
The postal service on Wednesday reported a quarterly loss of $562 million, despite growth in package delivery, due to continued erosion in the use of first-class mail as...

The federal government is after me. If this is my last message to the outside world, tell my wife and children that I lived my life without regret.
This crisis began last week with a note placed in my curbside mailbox — a note that was nearly lost in the...

A leader in the civil rights movement being remembered with her own U.S. Postal Service stamp was honored as someone whose accomplishments were many, even if she was not a household name, like her male peers.
Following the National Council of Negro...

The U.S. Postal Service said Thursday it lost $200 million during the year-end holiday season, despite a strong quarter of package shipping and expanded use of vote-by-mail in the November presidential election.
The results also reflect continued erosion...

A postal worker in Elmhurst has been charged with financial identity theft and unlawful use of a credit card following an investigation into undelivered bank cards on his route.
Eddie London, Jr., 52, of the 10700 block of Eberhardt Avenue, Chicago,...

The U.S. Postal Service will no longer be offering its services at Staples stores across the country.
Those services, which were handled by Staples employees, will be discontinued at about 500 of the office supply retailer's locations by the first week...

As Kayla Guenveur opened a gift on Christmas, she was surprised to see earrings, the type of gift a teenage girl would typically enjoy. Just one problem: The 18-year-old from Antioch did not have pierced ears.
From grandma's gift of a neon wool sweater...

Tom Castillo became emotional as he was sworn in as the new Elgin Postmaster.
"I didn't think this would be like this," said Castillo, his voice breaking.
Family, friends, city officials and officials from the regional office were on hand for his...

The U.S. Post Office is investigating a claim that more than 1,000 donation envelopes that were to be mailed to parishioners at St. Eugene Catholic Church instead were trashed in dumpster in a Harwood Heights office building.Officials at St. Eugene said a...

How long will it be, do you think, until companies such as Amazon start delivering packages to you by drone?
If that prospect seems fantastical to you, you're not alone. According to a survey published this week by the U.S. Postal Service, 57 percent...

Under her short red hair, Karina Shaffer's face was pale, serious and intense. She needed to get through a 1,400-point pre-trip safety checklist for a UPS double semitractor-trailer in less than 45 minutes, and there was little room for error.
Shaffer...

Naperville police and officials of the U.S. Postal Service are investigating a recent incident in which unspecified amounts of mail were stolen from mailboxes outside more than 30 homes.
Police earlier this week contacted federal postal inspectors...